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Welcome
to the latest Corning School
of Ocean Studies newsletter. Thanks for your interest in us, and our two majors:
Marine Biology
and Marine Science.
In our
last newsletter,
I asked you to think of the careers you could have as a
marine biologist or marine scientist. Now, I'd like you to consider
for a moment how
much we don't know about the ocean world.
Strange, isn't it, I'd
ask that? After all, I spend much of my time helping students learn about
things we do know! Here's the connection:
There's never been a better time to major in
the sciences
-- especially marine science and marine
biology -- and to help answer the great scientific challenges facing
our world.
First, let me assure you. There's a
lot we do know; students here will tell you that!
But imagine,
only a few percent of the seafloor has ever been seen with human eyes.
Thousands of new marine species are found each year. In
2005, a major Australian reef was
discovered. And we are only beginning to uncover the multitude of
influences the oceans have on climate.
You could discover a new species,
chart an unknown seamount, detect new chemicals in seawater, link climate
to ocean currents... the possibilities are endless!
And why now?
The oceans and their life are central to
understanding climate change, fisheries management, tsunamis, ocean
pollution, hurricanes, and many more topics of great importance.
They are changing too, in many ways we still know little about.
I invite you to participate in our quest to
learn more! Please
write
or call (1-800-464-6565 in state; 1-800-227-8465 out of state) anytime for
more information.
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In This
Issue |
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We typically
feature recent news here.
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- Drs.
Stephen and Jill Fegley, faculty in Marine
Biology, recently received funding for a project titled, "Characterization
of Meiofaunal Associations in Altered Maine Sandy Beaches". The
Fegleys, with Arthur Duncanson (Marine Biology '09), will study
microscopic worms known as meiofauna on southern Maine beaches.
Organisms on beaches replenished with dredge spoils will be compared to
those on undisturbed beaches. The team will also examine altered and
unaltered beaches in both New Jersey and North Carolina.
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Meiofaunal assemblage in sand
(30X).
Courtesy Department of Fisheries and
Oceans,
Canada |
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- Corning School faculty recently served as judges for the Northeast Ocean
Science Bowl held at the University of Maine. High school
teams from Maine and New Hampshire gathered to test their knowledge about
the oceans. Topic areas covered ocean biology, physics, geology and
chemistry as well as related geography, technology, history and current
events. The Northeast Ocean Science Bowl is part of a
national
competition; the regional winners will compete in Monterey,
California this May. Being part of an Ocean
Bowl team is a great introduction to marine science -- just ask our own
Megan White, Marine Science '08, who competed before coming to the
Corning School.
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- This
spring, Corning School juniors began their senior research
projects. After completing the first phase (finding relevant
journal articles and writing a proposal outlining the project),
a few have begun collecting preliminary data and testing
methods. Some, including Rex LeBeau and Heather
Whitaker (both Marine Science '07), have taken to the field
for "shake down" cruises (left). Others, including Wes Gapp
(Marine Science '07), are busy learning techniques in lab
(below).
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Right: An arrow
points to the shell of a foraminerfan, a microscopic animal about as
big as the width of a human hair. Wes found this and other "forams"
in clay from the roughly 13,000 year old Presumpscot Formation
collected here in Castine. The formation was deposited along
much of coastal Maine during the last ice age. Wes will study
the forams to learn about the marine ecosystems that existed when
great ice sheets a mile thick still covered Maine.
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Do
you read blogs? Emily, our resident blogger, is just
a click
away (and you can instant message her anytime about chosing a
college and a major).
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Emily Milinazzo
is blogging her way to
graduation this May.
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Stop by to tour our campus. Stay overnight in the residence hall, talk to students,
visit classes and labs, meet with professors and
coaches. If your timing is right, you might even
help students with a physiology experiment (above) or
accompany us on a lab aboard the R/V Friendship.
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Nothing beats a campus visit to learn about a college!
Maine
Maritime to learn about our programs, see our facilities and
experience what makes Maine Maritime special. Meet students, faculty, and coaches. Hear
about financial aid, sports programs, majors and minors, the
application process, and more. Sign up for an
Open House this coming fall (last Spring open house: Saturday, April 8, 2006).
Or arrange a custom tour at
your convenience!
Call (1-800 464-6565 in Maine;
1-800 227-8465 out of state) or
contact Admissions for more info.
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| Corning School
courses often require work outside of class -- and that includes on
the water! |
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Students in
Dr.
Sahl's Physical Oceanography and Ocean Circulation
course split their lab time this spring between the lab
and the field -- venturing out into Penobscot Bay as soon
as January. They took measurements with many
different instruments: an acoustic dopplar current
profiler (ADCP); a CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth);
drogues; and a side scan sonar. |
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| Left,
Students use a side scan sonar. Right, the ADCP, with
an attached float, being hoisted by winch. The ADCP was moored for
more than a month this spring, all the while collecting data for
students to use on the movement of water in Penobscot Bay. |
What makes this possible?
Our students' "can do" attitude, a large array of professional
equipment and facilities, and faculty interest in learning beyond
the classroom.
What makes this different?
Classrooms so close to the shore, some with running seawater
and aquaria, just aren't available at most colleges.
Will you be involved? Absolutely! From fun
introductory labs on the water in your first classes, to
challenging, advanced projects in your upper level courses,
you will be involved!
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| Though the
Corning School's Marine Science program is the oldest in New
England, its Marine Biology program is the newest. Our
first Marine Biology majors graduate this spring. Here, we
catch up with Keisha Lizotte, a member of the first
graduating class, about being part of a new major.
Keisha, where are you from?
Greenville, Maine
Why did you come here?
My dad
really wanted me to come here, but I was dead set against it...
a visit here changed my mind. I saw classes and talked to
Dr. Jill Fegley;
she told me about going out in the field and actually getting to
work with the organisms we would study. I wouldn't have been
able to get that experience anywhere else. I also loved the
campus and the opportunity to play soccer at a Division III
school.
Do you have any special biological interests?
I'd like to become a large marine mammal
veterinarian working at the Manatee Reserve in Florida.
What are your plans following graduation?
I am taking a year off from school to work and
save up money for an apartment in Florida! I will also
take the three classes I need to get into veterinary school.
Five years from now?
I hope to have graduated from Veterinary School and do cancer
research at the Manatee Reserve.
What about college did you like most?
I really enjoyed the people I met and the
life-long friends I have made. I also really enjoyed learning a
lot of new things and being really excited about it. I
loved working with the live organisms too!
Least?
I disliked writing papers... there's a lot of
studying and hard work you have to put into the program.
You are in the first class of Marine Biology
majors to graduate at Maine Maritime. Did being part of a
new major impact your education in any way?
We were the first class through most of the
courses... some were either too easy or too hard -- we were the
Guinea pigs! It was difficult to see another class have it
easier than us!
Any words of wisdom for those following in
your footsteps?
When you feel like giving up because it gets too
hard, work harder. Always remember, keep your head up.
Four years in the Marine Biology program won't be the hardest
thing you do in your life!
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Keisha (left) weighs a sample for her
senior project last fall.
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| Did
you know... that marine science (and its parent, geoscience) was singled out by Yahoo as
one of the
25 best job
areas for 2005? That marine biology graduates find jobs
in many industries? That marine scientists choose work in a variety
of workplaces – ranging from mostly all indoors to
mostly all outdoors? In
this series, we explore the familiar and not-so-familiar career
paths our graduates take.
Kimberly Glomb, Marine Science '03, surveys our coasts for the
National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of
the NOAA Corps.
What is your job title?
Hydrographic Survey Technician
What is the purpose of your work?
To update nautical charts.
Where do you work?
On the NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSON out of Norfolk, VA. We stay
out for two to three weeks at a time. The range of the ship is
the whole East Coast (Maine to Mexico).
How long did you train for the job?
Many, many months!
Did you need special training?
Yes; I needed to learn about the multibeam [underwater sonar system]
and different computer programs.
What type of shifts you have?
We use launches to do day work; when the ship operates 24 hours a
day, there are two processing shifts day and night, and three
acquisition shifts. The acquisition shifts are 4 hours on duty
and 8hours off.
What do you do when you're off duty?
Watch movies, read, play video games.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Acquiring data.
Your least favorite?
Long hours processing!
Do you ever wear a uniform?
No, only NOAA Corps officers do.
Any advice to new students?
No matter how hard classes get, keep in mind graduation and a good
job in your field.
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Kimberly at work
on board the hydrographic vessel, THOMAS JEFFERSON. |
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| For more on Marine
Science and Marine Biology at Maine Maritime, visit our
departmental website. For
more on Maine Maritime, visit our
campus website For information
about items reported in this newsletter, contact the Corning School's
Professor Joceline Boucher.
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